While motherhood is a beautiful and divine experience, it surely comes with a zillion challenges of its own. One of the most difficult tasks is shedding all the stubborn pregnancy fat and getting back in shape.

When 30-year-old Shruti was no longer able to fit into the clothes she had before becoming a mother of twins, she took it as a challenge to get back in shape. For all the new mothers who are facing a similar problem, her weight loss journey is an inspiration. Name: Shruti Sarda Occupation: Client Manager Age: 30 years Highest weight recorded: 89 kgs Weight lost: 32 kgs Duration it took me to lose weight: 18 months The turning point: After giving birth to my babies, I waited for almost one year for all the pregnancy fat to naturally go away. Everyone around me told me the same thing that I will lose all the weight gradually. However, I did not lose any weight. It was only after my twins turned one that I decided to hit the gym. My breakfast: I have 2 chapatis with 1 bowl of sautéed vegetables. Lunch: I keep it light for lunch. I just have 2-3 different varieties of fruits and a handful of nuts. Dinner: I make it a point to have my dinner before 5:30 in the evening. As the last meal of my day, I have 2 chapatis (or brown bread) with sautéed vegetables along with a bowl of daal and some salad. I indulge in: I am a die-hard foodie and absolutely love Italian and Chinese delicacies. Some of my favourites dishes are pizza and pasta. On weekends, I gorge on either of the two. My workout: I work out for one and a half hours for 5 days a week. I start with stretching followed by 20 minutes of cardio, weight lifting, squats, core strengthening, and abdomen exercises. I also go for an evening walk daily for 30 minutes. Low-carb recipes I swear by: Cottage cheese with boiled vegetables. Fitness secrets unveiled: I have realised that the healthier you eat, the better you work out. I also make sure that I never skip my breakfast and always include some protein-rich food in every meal. How do I stay motivated? I am lucky to have quite a few sources of motivation to keep going on. Some of them are the compliments I receive from my family and friends, the loss of inches which was quite visible to everyone around me and ultimately, shopping for dresses in smaller sizes.
I have also realised that when you workout, you get rid of the negative and depressing thoughts that hover all over you. Being able to actively play with my kids also boosted my passion for losing weight. How do you ensure you don't lose focus? I keep myself motivated by reading a lot about weight loss and watching videos about exercising, proper nutrition and losing weight post pregnancy. The most difficult part of being overweight: The worst part about being overweight is the extremely low self-confidence and body-shaming that you have to deal with on a daily basis. Also, there are several short-term and long-term health risks associated with being overweight that used to scare me.

Lifestyle changes I made: I have made myself more disciplined and changed my lifestyle. Also, I never skip my workout and keep tabs on my water intake.

What was the lowest point for you: I tried a lot of diets from GM to Keto but wasn’t able to follow them for even one single day. It was really demotivating for me.

Lessons learnt from weight loss: Ultimately, your weight is just a number. A good and healthy lifestyle should be your ultimate goal instead of losing kilos just because society expects you to look a certain way. Remember that fitness is not a destination but a lifelong process.

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Source: indiatimes.com